Terrell entered the fight with Ali holding a 39-4 record. Although the fight was dull and uninteresting, Terrell earned an easy 15 round unanimous decision to become the new Champion! He defended the title successfully against Canada Heavyweight Champion George Chuvalo and former World Light Heavyweight title challenger, Doug Jones. In 1964 the WBA stripped Muhammad Ali of their version of the World Heavyweight title for accepting a rematch with Sonny Liston, so in 1965 Terrell was paired with Eddie Machen to decide who the new WBA World Heavyweight Champion would be. Terrell would bounce back however and went on a 15 fight win streak which included wins against Young Jack Johnson, Cleveland Williams in a rematch, Zora Folley, German Heavyweight Champion Gerhard Zech and Bob Foster. In 1962 Terrell lost to veteran "Big Cat" Cleveland Williams who was the number 6 ranked heavyweight in the world at the time, by devastating 7th round TKO. He turned pro in 1957 and had a shakey start in his first 3 years with losses to unheralded boxer Johnny Gray and the inconsistent Wayne Bethea. More info below.Įrnie Terrell was uncharacteristically tall for a boxer of the era standing 6'6" tall. This fight showed the world Muhammad Ali's sadistic side. Lineal World Heavyweight Champion, Muhammad Ali, meets WBA World Heavyweight Champion, Ernie Terrell.
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